IAVA Daily News Brief – October 10, 2017

The non-partisan veteran organization, which boasts a membership of over 400,000 members nationwide, found a wide range of varying opinions from the 8,000 veterans and servicemembers that responded to the poll. “Much of America is talking about the protests in the NFL,” said Iraq veteran, Founder and CEO Paul Rieckhoff, in a press release from IAVA. | UPI >>

When Greg Stegall left the Navy at 30 years old, he found himself utterly adrift: a single dad with no degree, no clear plans for the future and a short résumé in a down job market. Struggling to find work, Stegall put his son in a boarding school for poor children and asked his parents for money and food. | The Washington Post >>

As policymakers in Washington weigh how the Department of Veterans Affairs provides health care for those who have served the nation, advocates on Long Island are seeking assurances that an accelerating shift of some medical functions to the private sector will not deprive the region’s only VA hospital in Northport of precious dollars. | Newsday >>

Iraq and Afghanistan

Iraq’s talks with Exxon Mobil to develop a multi-billion-dollar project to boost output from several southern oilfields are nearing completion, oil minister Jabar al-Luaibi said on Monday. “Talks are in advanced final stages with Exxon to develop and finance the important south project,” Luaibi told reporters after meeting an Exxon delegation in Baghdad. | Reuters >>

Heavy fighting has considerably limited access to health care across Afghanistan, with the southern province of Uruzgan already losing almost all its health facilities. The Red Cross decision is very likely to affect thousands of people, including many with disabilities. The organization’s seven rehabilitation centers around the country have provided more than 19,000 artificial legs and arms and other devices every year. | The New York Times >>

Iraq hasn’t started negotiations with Chevron and Total on the 200,000-barrel-a-day field, al-Luaibi told reporters in Baghdad. Shell hasn’t quit Majnoon and the Iraqi oil ministry is still in talks with the producer, he said. A person familiar with the matter told Bloomberg last month that Chevron was considering buying Shell’s stakes in the Majnoon and West Qurna-1 oil fields. | Bloomberg >>

Military Affairs

Defense Secretary James Mattis on Monday told the U.S. Army “to be ready” should military action be ordered by President Donald Trump against North Korea. Speaking to the Association of the United States Army (AUSA) convention in Washington, Mattis said efforts continue by the administration to get a peaceful solution to the problem of having a nuclear-armed North Korea. He said, “North Korean provocations [are] threatening regional and even global peace.” | CNBC >>

“He was a 33-year-old man basically volunteering for combat and not carrying a weapon, but carrying his camera,” said Tom Graves, chapter historian of the USMC Combat Correspondents Association in the San Francisco Bay Area. “He was exposed to great danger and in fact, was nearly killed several times.” (Photo Right) | The Washington Post >>

This explains the Corps’ interest in the Army’s new XM18 pistol, a compact version of the XM17. It seems possible that the Marines will bypass the full-size XM17 duty pistol all together. The Corps has also been testing out the Glock 19M, which Wade hopes will make its way to Marines in Afghanistan. The 2nd Marine Division’s top firearms expert posted a video in August comparing the Beretta M9 and Glock 19. | Task and Purpose >>

#VetsRising

An Iraq War veteran with a deep background in government service during the Obama administration is strongly considering running for the 1st District U.S. House seat being vacated by U.S. Rep. Carol Shea-Porter. New Hampshire sources told WMUR on Monday that businesswoman Maura Sullivan of Portsmouth is being strongly encouraged to run and is seriously exploring a candidacy. Her name has been circulating in political circles since Shea-Porter announced on Friday that she will not seek a fifth term. | WMUR >>

“Every single one of us has something in our life that has affected us, and the whole point of this class is to sweat it out,” said Newberry to the class of nearly 50 people. Veterans and civilians alike are invited to join. He hopes it will close the gap between civilians and veterans to build camaraderie and never give up. (Photo Right) | TMJ 4 >>

Green is a graduate of Cornell University, where he played football and earned a bachelor’s degree in engineering, according to his campaign. He worked in the aerospace industry after graduating, landing a job with NASA. He went on to get a master’s degree in business from the University of Virginia. He started 1A Auto Inc. with his brother, Mike, out of their garage in Pepperell. | Eagle-Tribune >>